Crunchyroll Production Partnership Will Help Develop Anime for Global Audience

Hot off the announcement that leading anime distributor Crunchyroll is partnering with Sumitomo Corporation to start producing anime series, IGN had the opportunity to ask a few questions to Crunchyroll co-founder and CEO Kun Gao about the partnership and what it means for the content Crunchyroll will be developing.

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IGN: Are there any studios you're particularly interested in funding? Is there a "dream studio" you all would like to work with?

Gao: There are many premiere animation studios in Japan, and we are looking to work with all of them. Part of the appeal is that each studio excels at certain aspects of animation. Some are better at CGI, others at storytelling towards a particular audience, and some at high animation quality. We are excited to be able to work with all of them as part of this venture.

IGN: Will you work directly with the creative team to influence production, or is Crunchyroll taking more of a hands-off approach?

Gao: It will be on a case by case basis. Some productions are looking for international financing and distribution, while others are looking for more creative collaboration. We are open to exploring all opportunities.

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IGN: If Crunchyroll is creatively involved, will Crunchyroll work to add content that's targeted more towards Western, or global, audience? For example, more characters of color, more real-world settings outside of Japan, etc.

Gao: It's really up to the creators. Many creators have a desire to have their work reach a more global audience, but they are unsure what moves the needle for fans outside Japan. We are helping them cross this bridge by bringing incredibly rich data from our audience, as well as letting creators directly reach anime fans through our social platform. Our goal is to enable creators and fans to connect even more closely than ever before.